Lately I've been asked why I decided to only shop second hand this year, so I thought I would dive more into this decision. 

The seed was planted a few years ago by my pastor who introduced our congregation to the documentary, "The True Cost." We watched the screening of it together as a church and it really rocked my perspective of the negative impacts our consumption has on the environment and to the people who are in third world countries working in the factories. The majority of the world is enslaved to the western way of living. We're polluting while we are also contributing to the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters around the globe working in unsafe facilities with low wages.

This discovery started to gnaw at my soul. I've loved thrifting since high school, but I never looked at it as a way of fighting against the system and our western way of consuming. 

I also wanted to take this time to reroute my heart posture. I am aware that God creates us uniquely for a reason and I don't take the passions that he's given me lightly, but I also don't want to walk the line of worshipping fashion and vanity over worshipping the one true God.

I could feel my heart being tugged at wanting more and wanting things I didn't need nor would fulfill anything in me and this constant tug for more was creating unrest in my soul. This lead me to the decision of spending this year rerouting this heart tug and re-centering my heart on the reality that I have everything I need and I have more than enough. By rerouting my desires, I have become more aware of the emptiness that comes from fleeting purchases and I don't want to ever encourage that negative thought process on my blog. Our clothes will never define us nor will they fulfill us.

This act of stopping and checking if my heart is pointing towards true north has been my main goal of this venture of shopping only second hand. 

With all that said, I don't want to ignore the heart beat towards fashion that God has given me and abandon my pursuits all together, instead I want to be more mindful about the message I'm writing with my life and the heart posture I have towards my clothes and things. 

The outfit that I styled below is 75% second hand. Everything but the beret and t-shirt came from either a thrift store or a consignment store. Enjoy some photos of me frolicking around downtown Riverside, wishing it was Paris, France. Also, can we just acknowledge that the color palette of McDonalds can be tastefully curated into a cute outfit, like below?

Thanks for checking out my blog! I hope it lights something within you to consider shopping second hand and rerouting your desires to something more.  

Unit next time. 
xoxo, 

​Jill 

Do you ever catch yourself thinking, "oh I'm saving that for (fill in the blank)?"

I do this with clothes, food and relationships. Somewhere along the way I started to believe that I wasn't deserving of good things and that some day I will eat that food, wear that dress or put myself out there again. 

I hoard my "good" food and nourish myself with nothing of substance, because in my head, I don't believe that I am deserving of good things. 

I recently bought some shrimp and salmon from Sams Club and I was complaining in my head that I didn't have food, even though I had an overflowing amount of food in my freezer, available to me right now. For some reason I categorized that food as something I'd eat in the future. 

Why do we do that? It's like we've been conditioned to save that dress, save that food for some special event THAT. IS NEVER. GOING. TO. COME. 

I want to frolic in the clothes I buy. I want to eat food without feeling guilty that I'm indulging in something that was meant for a special dinner. 

Entitlement and realizing that you are deserving of good things are very different. I don't believe we are entitled to anything. But when you have access to the water and you don't drink it, that's just scarcity. 

This mindset of scarcity needs to go. It's a mindset that can't live in the same breath as my beliefs about God. 

I think we also do this with our relationship to God. We complain about anxiety, anger or unforgivingness and the author of life is waiting for you to come to Him. He is waiting for you to sit down and open the Bible and have a convo. We have full access to the water yet we're not drinking it. 

Tonight I made shrimp and rice and I ate it and thanked God for the chains he breaks and the way He provides. It's in the small moments of making dinner that He reminds us that we are enough and that we are deserving of good things. 

By now I'm sure you know that I love a pink moment, so these pants were a must have for my wardrobe. I will be honest though, I was pretty hesitant when I first bought them, but now I'm obsessed and wear them far too often. My coat is very light weight and I can wear it with pretty much everything since it's basically a neutral and I believe I bought it at Nordstrom Rack a few seasons ago. My top is a button up linen thrift find. I love finding basics at thrift stores, especially ones that are vintage. I gravitate towards a block heel so these black mules were definitely a wardrobe need and I hunted them down at Nordstrom Rack last year. This black Brixton cap I've had a few years now and it's still one of my favorites to rock. My LB pin is from the Garden, my local church I attend in Long Beach.

Similar Madewell jeans: Here
Brixton Cap: Here

I haven't been thrifting yet this year, so there's nothing yet to report about my challenge. That also means I haven't bought any clothes this month, which is a great reminder that I have all that I need.

Okay friends, I hope that you are inspired in some capacity.

Carry on with your lovely lives and and until next time.

xoxo,

Jill

Shesh, time does not slow down even in the new year. 

I got the flu (or something like it) right after Christmas and during New Years and lost my voice. Then work and life amped back up. I'm sure you all understand. I'm trying to be better about blocking out time to get personal things (blogging, creative ventures, etc.) done during the week since I'm gone for about 12 hours everyday for work and have about 2 hours before I need to be in bed to do it all over again the next day, but so far my attempts have been feeble. But I'm not going to quit my day dream despite my lack of free time.

I guess this is adulting? 

I just finished John Mark Comer's new book, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and I'm feeling inspired to cut things out of my life that bring death to my soul. One of them being spending too much time on my phone. 

At the end of the book he gives the reader 20 practical ways to live more simply and cut out hurry. 

One of the practices was to put your phone to "bed" at night (far away) and use an alarm clock for the morning so you don't spend time scrolling at night or in the morning and you can give your eye's a rest from the overload of blue light we experience.

The nights that I have done this since finishing the book last week have been those with the best sleep and the easiest wake-up routine. I usually snooze my alarm 5-10 times in the morning (sorry roomie). But with only one alarm set (on my google home) and my phone far away charging in the living room, I was forced to get up and start getting ready. Nothing to pick up and scroll, nothing to distract myself with while in bed avoiding getting ready. I just picked up my phone on the way out the door and didn't spend ANY time distracted or scrolling in the morning or before bed. 

I definitely recommend this practice if you are like me and catch yourself wasting time on your phone at night or in the morning.

I also recommend this book if you're looking for a new read. John Mark's writing feels like an easy conversation and I've heard him speak enough to understand his lighthearted and sometimes sarcastic tone. I've read all of his books and this one is a great reminder of the importance of living a slow and meaningful life, amid our busy modern society. 

​Well onto this outfit below ;)

My cute siblings helped me shoot this outfit this past summer. We even got Morgan to strut her stuff in front of the camera alittle. I love her confidence and sass.

My yellow skirt is a vintage find from the rose bowl flea market. Thankfully the vendor had a booth to try on clothes and I was able to make sure it fit before pulling the trigger. I got pretty dang lucky because it fits like a glove. Which can be good or bad since vintage clothes have no stretch. Let's just hope I don't gain any weight and can't wear it anymore because it's a definitely a favorite in my closet right now.

The denim jacket is a lovely thrift find and my graphic tee is from Zara.

Zara has an amazing graphic tee selection and they are always rotating out new designs. I was having a hard time finding good graphic tees for a while, but once I found Zara's selection, I haven't looked back. But now that I'm only buying secondhand for the next year, I'll keep you updated on some tips for finding them secondhand.

About 20-30% of my closet is secondhand and I'm hoping to grow that percentage in 2020.

This necklace pairing has been a favorite of mine for a while. The heart necklace is from Madewell and the dreamer necklace is from Gorjana. The two tone metal earrings are from Madewell.

Pro-tip, get the earrings from Nordstrom Rack instead of paying full price at Madewell. That's where I bought these ones from.

My yellow purse is from T.J. Maxx and my sneakers are the classic checkerboard slip-on vans that have come back around the fashion loop. I love how versatile they are and how seamless they pair with a skirt just as well as jeans. My hat is the one I always wear (eye roll) from a consignment years ago in New Hampshire. Don't worry, I have a new hat to showcase very soon.

Thanks for stopping by. Let me know if there's anything else you want me to share on here.

xoxo,

Jill

I love a good challenge. I would even say that I crave a good challenge. And I need accountability. With that said, that is why I'm telling you all about this year's challenge I am taking on.  Every new year I try to take time to reset my goals and take on new ones. This year I decided to take a bigger stand against the fast fashion world.

I'm going to spend all of 2020 only buying second hand. Whether that's poshmark, thred-up, consignment, vintage, flea market, thrift stores or friend's closet clean out, I'm going to only consume clothing second hand. 

I've talked about doing this on and off for the past year and couldn't really find a time to pause and make this a realistic goal. So why not start it in the new year?

I've always enjoyed curating outfits and this will give me the opportunity to curate them for an entire year using just the creativity of my mind. No mannequin to copy an outfit off of. No instagram ad pulling me in to buy another cheap t shirt. Just me and the second hand clothes I come by. 

Buying things second hand is important to our environment and keeping things in the ecosystem instead of the landfill. It's also important to buy things with intention, knowing that you will get good use out of the pieces in your closet. 

I  want to take you on this journey with me. I'm going to document my finds. I've also been listening to a podcast about second hand fashion called, "It Never Gets Old." I definitely recommend listening to it if you're ever interested in the world of second hand. 

There are a few exceptions I am willing to make to my own rule. I have two wedding that I'm in this year. The first wedding I already ordered the bridesmaids dress for, but the second is in November and I don't plan on buying this second hand. Unless I get super lucky and the right dress (color, size and style) is online somewhere second hand. I've already planned on breaking my rule for this dress, but I'll still make an effort to look for it second hand. Also, I will not be buying bra's or underwear second hand. Those items I do not feel comfortable buying second hand, as I'm sure most of you wouldn't want to do that either. 

I still have some more fashion related blog posts lined up that don't have to do with thrifting, but I will still post them and talk about the outfits regardless of my new challenge. 

Speaking of all this second had fashion, everything in this outfit below, besides my vans, are second hand. My skirt, linen t-shirt and blazer were all only $14.50 combined and I made the headband out of a set I thrifted. The purse is from my aunt who found it in a vintage shop in Florida. 

I hope this post inspires you to check out your local thrift or go online to poshmark or thred-up and consider buying second hand. It's vital for our planet and can be a whole lot of fun. 

Thanks for checking out my blog!

xoxo, 

​Jill 
​

Before I let a ridiculous amount of time pass by and it seems absurd to post my senior photos, I decided to piece together different posts with each outfit. Below is where we started the shoot, at my apartment. I wanted to capture different parts of Long Beach that I love, starting with where I call home. I've slowly crafted my apartment to reflect my design style and I'm very proud of it.

In a separate blog post I'll give you more details about my apartment, but in this post you'll see glimpses of the space in these photos. I've lived in this apartment since the summer of 2015. The tall ceilings, plaster walls and original wood floors are just touching the surface of what I love about it. Plus the light in the space is amazing at all times of day.

Occasionally you'll hear the "tamale lady' yelling tamaleesssss at the top of her lungs, or the "opera lady" casually belting out opera as she walks the neighborhood. And this is why I say I can never go back to the suburbs.

​So this is me. In my space. Sharing a piece of my little haven with you all. Enjoy!

I wanted to match my apartment while still keeping the outfit pretty neutral. My top is from H&M and my jeans are the same Levi's as the last post (told you a wear them a ton). My pink velvet block heels are from Matisse and my pink half moon earrings are from Madewell. Just a quick tip, If I'm buttoning up a top all the way, I balance it out by bringing in a feminine touch on bottom with heels. A lot of my outfits can come across as little boy or prairie vibes, so I try to break it up and add a heel. 

Thanks Jessie for the rad photos! check out her and her husbands website here. Definitely recommend them if you're in need of any type of photos. 

xoxo, 

Jill

I'm learning that as you speak things into existence, those around you that hear your dreams and ideas want you to actually follow through with them and pursue them. Not just talk about them. So here I am, coming at you with 9 month old photos Emma took for me this last March. So, this is me, attempting to actually put into fruition the things my heart desires. One of them being, continuing my blog and not giving a damn about what people think. The illusion that people care about what we do keeps us from moving forward on so many pursuits, but to be honest, no one actually cares as much as you think they do. So stop being self conscious and do that DAMN thing. You got this boo. Okay that motivational speech was mainly for my timid self, but I hope it helped someone that is scared to pursue something because of what others might think.

Now enjoy some photos of me in a treschic tee and a beret because I wish I lived in Paris and dress like I do 5-7 days a week. I actually got a comment this week that my outfit looked like it belonged in New York and I have to admit that compliment was just a good as someone saying that it looked like I should live in Paris, because we all know I love New York and it's street fashion. 

So onto this outfit I put together this last spring. I've been on a Madewell jeans kick this last year, but I found these Levi's from Ariztia and I've been obsessed since. I gravitate towards these Levi's everyday and would wear them all the time if it was socially acceptable. They are so versatile, comfy, easy to dress up or down and I love the wash. I've gotten so many compliments on them and a few friends have bought them too. My graphic tee is from H&M and the letters are felt, which I thought was a fun little detail. I wanted to continue the yellow theme, so I paired it with my yellow heels from Zara. We all know I love to top an outfit off with a hat or a beret, so I'm wearing one of my favorites from Brixton. The colors are muted, so it's not too overwhelming and yellow and red pair well together. My cute woven bag is a thrift find from my aunt Jenni while she was exploring Palm Beach, Florida. My Aunt's keep sending me these amazing vintage bags and I'm all here for it. They know me so well. My earrings are from Madewell, glasses are from Warby Parker and my snake belt is from Matisse. 

The backbay in Newport was sprawling with flowers and after taking these photos I changed into workout clothes and we went on a walk and enjoyed spring in full bloom. 

Thanks for stopping by. Below are some links to a few items to create a similar look.

Madewell earings: Here
Similar woven bag: Here
Similar Yellow Heels: Here
Brixton Beret: Here
Levi's: Here

Catch ya next time

xoxo, 

Jill 

​I’ve been relearning how to receive grace.  
 
As senior year fall semester came to a close, I am reminded of all that was accomplished, yet all that has fallen short. 
 
It’s so easy to get frustrated with ‘should’ve and could’ve.' But I have to constantly remind myself that I can’t do it all. 
 
There is a time and a season for everything. Just as you give grace to others, give grace to yourself. Sometimes you have to put different parts of your life on the back burner and leave them for other seasons. 
 
While I’ve poured myself into my studies and my work, I’ve had to remind myself that I can’t do it all. I can’t show up to every invite, I can’t be fully involved in everything and that is okay. 
 
Day by day, step by step has been my mantra this season. Day by day, step by step. One thing at a time. 
 
I’m not sure what season of life you are in. But, day by day, step by step and you will get through. Don’t be so hard on yourself and remember to give yourself some grace. You got this. 

Along with a few other things in my life, this blog has been put on the back burner to more important and time pressing matters. But I would like to bring my blog back from the dead in 2019. But.. day by day, step by step. I'm going to give myself grace if I can't juggle this blog with my last and most important semester of school left.

Bear with me as I try to make time for my side passions while simultaneously being buried in work and school. 

Now onto this outfit. This Yosemite tee was a Christmas gift from a very special guy in my life, more to come on that. I love the juxtaposition between a graphic tee and a structured blazer, so of course I paired it with my favorite from a past season.

I've also been living non stop in these Madewell high waisted jeans. They are stretchy, so comfy and I can dress them up or down very easily.

My bag was a gift from my aunt, who scored it at a flea market in New Hampshire. My shoes are a thrift find, along with my hat, that I can't seem to find a better version of nearly 4 years later.

My pin collection is constantly growing. The two I'm wearing today are new additions. The Christmas triangle pin I bought at a small shop in Long Beach called Port. If you've ever been to Long Beach during Christmas time, you'll notice the lighted Christmas tree structures scattered in the water in Naples. This pin was created to donate money specifically to those in need during the holidays. A large portion of the sales went to feeding the homeless in Long Beach. I love buying something that supports a good cause and I love Long Beach, so adding this pin to my collection was a no brainer.

My "designers rule" pin is one that I've had in my etsy cart for a few years now and I finally pulled the trigger and bought it. Especially since I'm graduating soon and becoming a real "designer". 

1. Matisse Belt
2. Madewell Jeans 
3. Designers rule pin
​4. Blazer

Thanks for checking out my blog. 

Cheers to giving ourselves more grace in 2019. 

Don't spread yourselves too thin my friends. 

xoxo, 

​Jill 

For most of the world above the equator it is the middle of winter, but where I am in California it has been 70-80 degrees for a while now. Last "winter" we actually received a good amount of rain, but this year so far it has maybe rained half a day. 

Because of this weather confusion, I've been able to wear skirts in winter. Quite a concept huh? 

I am all about small prints, so when I stumbled upon this gingham blazer at a thrift store a few years ago, I knew it would be a perfect staple for many outfits. Since then I've been able to style it quite a few different ways. In this outfit, I decided to pair it with my favorite tan skirt, wrap up block heels, vintage handbag, rolling stones graphic tee, and my favorite red beret. I've included links at the bottom of this post if you want to get a similar look. 

Well, onto better topics. Just kidding. But really, guess what! I'm going to prom this Friday! Yes, Prom! It's for the Night to Shine by the Tim Tebow foundation. My sister went last year and had the time of her life. I'm excited to make someone else's night as special as possible. Even though I have a sister with down syndrome, this is still way out of my comfort zone. I'm not very outgoing, but regardless of that, I'm going to rock the night away. If I have enough photos, I'll do a blog post on the night. Stay tuned for that post. 

Now enjoy the photos below of my outfit. 

​

Get the Look: 

Blazer:
here, here, here, here 

Mini Skirt: 
here, here, here 

Graphic Tee:
here, here

Woven Bag:
​here, here, here, here

Beret: 
Here, here, here, here

Wrap Heels:
here

Thanks for checking out my blog! Have a great day!

xoxo, 
Jill 

Hi friends, 

Over thanksgiving break (yes thanksgiving break, that's how far behind I am on blog posts) my family took a road trip to Arizona to explore. One of the days we ended up in Sedona, which is where these photos were taken. 

I got quite the comments about this outfit from my brother. He had a mouthful to say about a few of my outfits actually. This one in particular he was convinced I looked amish. My mom also questioned that this outfit was too retro. "I think I wore that skirt in the 80's" was her exact comment. Regardless of their push back, I confidently wore this outfit because I genuinely liked it. I know it might not be everyones cup of tea, but I enjoy mixing patterns.

Break the rules.

Who cares if you've been told to not mix stripes with plaid, do it anyways.

Who cares if your brother say's you look amish, wear it anyways. 

But if you want to mix patterns, find a common thread in the two patterns to make it work. In this outfit, the colors are the same, just reverse in their dominant color.  

I loved this outfit paired with my mustard yellow beret, vintage bag and wrap up heels. 

I've included links to similar items at the bottom of this blog if you're interested in recreating this look with your own spin off. 

The top is from Madewell, my skirt and bag were a thrift find, my shoes are from TJ Maxx and I bought this beret on Amazon! 

plaid skirt options:
here, here, here

Madewell turtleneck options:
here, here, here 

lace up heels:
here, here

Beret: 
here, here

Thanks for checking out my blog, I hope you are having a wonderful week!

xoxo, 
Jill

Do you remember the days when skinny jeans for men weren't main stream yet? You would see guys buying skinny jeans from the girl's side of the store to get the look they wanted. Well this isn't any different. Sometimes the perfect piece for your wardrobe lies in the section of the opposite gender.

Quite a few of my favorite pieces were found in the men's section, including this sweater.

This has been one of my favorite sweaters for a few years. I found in at an H&M while I was in London in December of 2014. We were headed to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre and packed nice clothes for the show. Unfortunately, we didn't time things out right and if we headed back to our hostel to change, we would miss the show. Instead of trekking back to our hostel, that was on the edge of town, we were spontaneous and bought whole new outfits at H&M, because why not. I found the sweater in the men's section on sale and I bought it with a button up to layer underneath.

The button up I layered underneath the sweater in this outfit is a thrift store find. I bought it specifically to layer underneath tops just because the collar is perfect. If you could see the rest of the top you'd laugh. It's far too short and kind of wide, I honestly don't know if its a men's or women's button up, but oh well, it get's the job done.

Like I said in my last post, this Brixton cap will be apart of my wardrobe all fall. I love it!

This bag has been my obsession ever since it showed up on my door step in a package from my Aunt Sara in New Hampshire. Sara found it at a flea market and a few other fun things and thought of me. How sweet is that?! It's beautiful and I love all the little details, like the clasp that keeps it shut. It's vintage, but it's still in great shape and I will treasure it for years to come. 

The shoes I'm wearing were found at Ross, but made by Steve Madden. The block heel makes them great for everyday wear and the pop of color adds flare to any outfit. You can find me wearing the heck out of these all fall. 

These wide-leg cropped green pants are from TJ Maxx, but originally from Gap. They're also a staple in my wardrobe this fall.

In other news, I just finished the book, Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist.
It was fresh, real and a great reminder about the importance of grounding ourselves in the truth that comes with really knowing and loving God. 

Here is one quote that summarizes the book pretty well. 

"This isn't about working less or more, necessarily. This isn't about homemade or takeout, or full time or part time, or the specific ways we choose to live out our days. It's about rejecting the myth that every day is a new opportunity to prove our worth, and about the truth that our worth is inherent, given by God, not earned by our hustling.

It's about learning to show up and let ourselves be seen just as we are, massively imperfect and weak and wild and flawed in a thousand ways, but still worth loving. It's about realizing that what makes our lives meaningful is not what we accomplish, but how deeply and honestly we connect with the people in our lives, how wholly we give ourselves to the making of a better world, through kindness and courage."

If you're in the neighborhood for a new read, I highly recommend this one. 

Get the Look:
​Steve Madden Shoes: here
Similar Pants: here, here and here 
Brixton Cap: here


Thanks so much for checking out my blog! I hope it inspires you to think out of the box and search the men's section for interesting pieces to add to your wardrobe. 

xoxo,
​Jill